Marcy Wheeler is definitely not an investigative journalist you would want sussing out any lies you might have told or other bogus behavior you might have engaged in. She’s a bulldog and she doesn’t let go. She’s been on the Trump-Russia beat since before it was a beat. Today surely had her smacking her lips as she reported the latest developments in Cohen’s Testimony Implicates Trump and His Spawn:
As you’ve heard, Michael Cohen pled guilty to lying to Congress this morning in conjunction with the Mueller investigation. Even what he testified to will implicate Trump and Don Jr directly. Here’s what the information says Cohen lied to cover up:
COHEN CONTINUED TO PURSUE A TRUMP TOWER MOSCOW DEAL FOR FAR LONGER THAN HE TESTIFIED HE DID, AND BRIEFED “FAMILY” ON IT, WHICH PRESUMABLY INCLUDES DON JR (WHO THEREFORE LIED TO CONGRESS ABOUT IT)
The Moscow Project was discussed multiple times within the Company and did not end in January 2016. Instead, as late as approximately June 2016, COHEN and Individual 2 discussed efforts to obtain Russian governmental approval for the Moscow Project. COHEN discussed the status and progress of the Moscow Project with Individual 1 on more than the three occasions COHEN claimed to the Committee, and he briefed family members of Individual 1 within the Company about the project.
THE PLANS CONTINUED AFTER THE CAMPAIGN GOT INFORMATION ABOUT EMAILS AND WERE SPECIFICALLY STRUCTURED AROUND TRUMP GETTING THE NOMINATION; THEY ENDED WHEN THE DNC HACK WAS REPORTED
COHEN agreed to travel to Russia in connection with the Moscow Project and took steps in contemplation of Individual 1’s possible travel to Russia. COHEN and Individual 2 discussed on multiple occasions traveling to Russia to pursue the Moscow Project. [...]
COHEN WAS IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH DMITRY PESKOV’S OFFICE; AND PUTIN’S OFFICE CONTACTED FELIX SATER
On or about January 14, 2016, COHEN emailed Russian Official 1’s office asking for assistance in connection with the Moscow Project. On or about January 16, 2016, COHEN emailed Russian Official 1’s office again, said he was trying to reach another high-level Russian official, and asked for someone who spoke English to contact him. [...]
And all this is just what Mueller wants us to know.
TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES
QUOTATION
“Science requires the most vigorous and uncompromising skepticism, because the vast majority of ideas are simply wrong, and the only way you can distinguish the right from the wrong, the wheat from the chaff, is by critical experiment and analysis. Too much openness and you accept every notion, idea, and hypothesis—which is tantamount to knowing nothing. Too much skepticism-especially rejection of new ideas before they are adequately tested-and you're not only unpleasantly grumpy, but also closed to the advance of science. A judicious mix is what we need.”
~~Carl Sagan, “Wonder and Skepticism” (1995)
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
On this date at Daily Kos in 2010—Federal worker pay freeze is unjustified and ineffective:
Here's a shocker for you: rich people don't create jobs. Demand creates jobs. And demand is created when the vast majority of people, lower and middle class people, feel secure enough in their lives to spend some of their very hard earned cash.
The White House Council of Economic Advisers has stated that extending tax cuts for the wealthy is a bad idea. In fact, there's very good evidence that low tax rates at the top depress the economy. Low tax rates encourage the already wealthy to keep even more funds for themselves by cutting staff and reducing benefits. […]
What does work? Making sure that lower and middle class workers have enough funds on hand to meet their immediate needs. Which is why freezing the pay of federal workers is far, far worse for the economy than allowing the tax cuts to expire for the wealthy. It could be seriously (and convincingly) argued that raising tax rates for corporations and the wealthy would actually be good for the economy. It can't be argued that imposing a $60 billion penalty on middle class workers -- which is exactly what this is -- will do anything but retard economic growth and reduce job production.
